Welcoming Battery Ambassadors from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific
As part of the commitment to supporting skills enhancement, knowledge transfer and battery technology development for emerging economies, the Faraday Institution is delighted to appoint a cohort of 12 Battery Ambassadors representing Bangladesh, Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
These key representatives are being funded to attend the Faraday Institution Annual Conference in September 2025 to network with the UK battery community and build collaborations. The ambition is that they would then build a network of battery specialists in their own countries, as we seek to build a wider battery network. The Faraday Institution plans to provide a series of online Masterclasses into this network from subject experts on a range of key topics.
This initiative is part of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage (ACES) and is being run in conjunction with the Transforming Energy Access Learning Partnership.
World map illustrating the countries represented by Battery Ambassadors.
Bangladesh
Professor Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Technology and Sciences, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB). Research focus is energy efficient battery chargers for small electric vehicles as well as battery-based energy storage systems for solar energy for food processing activities in off grid areas.
Fiji
Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Fiji, researching sustainable energy and waste management, with a particular emphasis on second-life batteries and e-waste.
Ghana
Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, investigating sustainable battery (waste) management.
Kenya
Dean in the School of Computing and Engineering Sciences at Strathmore University focusing on testing second life batteries.
Malawi
Lecturer in Energy Systems Department at Mzuzu University, Coordinator of the Test and Training Centre for Renewable Energy Technologies (TCRET) and Postgraduate Program Energy Systems Department, Head of Solar PV and Energy Storage Research Group and member of the CESET team.
Malaysia
Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and College of Engineering Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) focusing on microgrid battery energy storage systems.
Nepal
Associate Professor in Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University. Focusing on energy and environment analysis of electric mobility and the promotion of energy storage.
Nigeria
Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO). Founder and Centre Leader for the Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS). Focusing on the optimisation of new cathode materials for greater energy density.
Pakistan
Associate Professor at the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) leading a team focusing on the development of electrode and electrolyte materials with enhanced performance for lithium– and sodium-ion batteries.
South Africa
Associate Professor at the Institute for Catalysis and Energy Solutions (ICES), University of South Africa-Florida Science Campus (UNISA) focusing on the development of electrode materials for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.
Zambia
Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Copperbelt University. Research focusing on utilisation and recycling of electric vehicle batteries, including working with ReLiB on second-life batteries and e-waste.
Zimbabwe
Research Cluster Leader on Energy and Power in the Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department at the University of Zimbabwe. Focused on the techno-economic performance tests and assessments of locally manufactured batteries in terms of energy density, durability and performance analysis.
The Battery Ambassadors were funded to attend the Faraday Institution Annual Conference in September 2024, fostering knowledge transfer and collaboration with each other and with the UK battery community. Over the three days, the group held brainstorming sessions and set up the following initiatives:
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- A joint paper on the battery ecosystem landscape, led by Julius Butime, Strathmore University, Kenya. The aim is to publish a paper that accurately maps the battery landscape in their countries, providing visibility into current battery activities through contributions from each ambassador.
- Building Global South battery networks, led by Hilton Chingosho, University of Zimbabwe. The aim is to overcome fragmentation in battery activities across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by fostering a cohesive battery community through webinars from subject experts on a range of topics. Check out the webinars here.
- Capacity building. The aim is to identify and address key battery knowledge and skill gaps in countries represented by the ambassadors by gathering input for targeted interventions to guide initial capacity-building efforts.
Two of the Battery Ambassadors, Dr Julius Butime (Strathmore University, Kenya) and Dr Chrispin Gogoda (Mzuzu University, Malawi) shared their insights on the Battery Ambassadors Programme. Watch the video.
Webpage updated June 2025.